Andrew Miller/For the Star-LedgerRutgers forward Gilvydas Biruta goes up for a basket during today's win against Hampton. Biruta led the Scarlet Knights with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

The lesson being instilled into the Rutgers team before this afternoon's game was a familiar one for only the few players left over from last year.

While the new arrivals were already thinking of the 6:30 p.m. flight to Cancun for this week's tournament, the upperclassmen were thinking about last Dec. 23. With their minds already thinking ahead to Christmas break, Rutgers barely got by Saint Peter's, winning by just three. They didn't want to repeat that today.

"We were basically just winging it because we were all so focused on going home and getting away for a couple of days," junior center Austin Johnson said. "We didn't want to do that. We just wanted to get this under our belt, by playing tough. And I think we did that."

The Scarlet Knights avoided the dreaded trap game, knocking off Hampton 66-52. Head coach Mike Rice threatened his team with nightmare workouts during the upcoming trip to Mexico for the Cancun Challenge — which begins Tuesday against Illinois State. That apparently was enough for Rutgers to hear.

With the trip, a noon start against a MEAC opponent on a Sunday afternoon and Thanksgiving break creeping into their minds, Rice issued a stern warning.

No talk about any distractions until after the game.

"Cancun? These guys have never been out there," Rice said. "I wouldn't let them talk about it. I screamed and killed them every time (it was mentioned). Yeah, they're excited to go to Cancun, to play — all the things that come with this holiday trip. So, yeah, I was very nervous that their minds were already on the airplane and putting their feet in the ocean."

By the end of the game, Rutgers (3-1) had given its coach enough reasons to think about sunscreen, bathing suits and crashing waves.

Against a Pirates (1-2) team which kept the Scarlet Knights out of rhythm for much of the first half, offense was tough to come by. Hampton's loose, playground-style of play made the game sloppy. So, the Scarlet Knights tried a few new tricks to even things out. They went to zone on defense, forcing Hampton into poor shots. The only thing that needed figuring out was where the offense would come from.

"I was hugging each and every one of my players because I was proud that you could be that bad on offense and not let it effect the way you defend," Rice said.

It also helped that Rutgers had another solid outing by sophomore forward Gilvydas Biruta. The Lithuanian had a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, helping boost the Scarlet Knights. Plus, for the second straight game, freshman guard Jerome Seagears gave his team a lift off the bench, scoring 12.

"We knew that we were playing against an athletic team," Biruta said. "And we knew that we were going to just have to play hard. You're going to have to bang against them to get the rebounds and that's what we did."

Because of it, Rutgers was able to let visions of sand and sun enter their heads afterwards.

They had avoided the letdown. There was no repeat of last year.

"The coaches told us that if we lose this game, Cancun was not going to be a pretty sight," junior wing Dane Miller said. "So we talked to a lot of guys and told them about Saint Peter's and let them know that you don't want that to happen."